


5 Ficlets, 4 Fandoms

by Garnigal



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Firefly, Forever Knight, Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-10-07
Updated: 2010-04-05
Packaged: 2017-10-08 17:53:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/78025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garnigal/pseuds/Garnigal





	1. Nick Knight, Forever Knight

The loft was still and silent.

The usual small sounds of habitation were missing from the expensively furnished rooms. No sounds of running water. No creaks from a foot on a loose floorboard. No whispering of fabrics.

No breathing.

The sunset outlined the shutters on the tall windows in rich golds and reds. Everything glowed briefly, then faded as night fell.

Nick rose from his bed and opened the shutters.

Another day gone by without him in it.


	2. Nandi, Firefly

Everyone makes mistakes.

The Guild made theirs when they placed more value on her beautiful face than her fiery temperament. For surely even this spirit could be broken.

Nandi made hers when she thought she could suppress her passions in favour of the wealth and power she would gain as a Companion. For surely she could control herself.

Burgess made his when he assumed he could do, could have and could take whatever he wanted. For surely his wealth made him all powerful.

But mistakes can be rectified.

The Guild rectified theirs when they graciously let Nandi leave with nothing but the clothes on her back. Some spirits aren't worth the breaking.

Nandi rectified hers when she finally indulged her passions and broke that thrice-damned dulcimer into pieces. Some passions are worth more than wealth.

Burgess only dug himself deeper, refusing to acknowledge his mistakes. Some power can be bought.

And that wasn't a mistake, that was a fatal error.


	3. Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter

He'd been normal once.

He supposed he had been, anyway.

He didn't remember, not really. He didn't remember if his mother had sung him a special lullaby to help him sleep. He didn't remember if his father had flown him around the room on a baby-sized broomstick. He didn't remember if they'd laughed at his childish antics, cooed over his first smile, rejoiced over his first steps. He didn't remember if they'd had a dream for his future.

But they'd been normal once too.


	4. Nick Stokes, CSI

He was a boy's boy and a man's man.

Eager and charming as a child, he played games with his family and ran around the neighbourhood with a pack of devoted friends. Enthusiastic and charismatic as a college student, he played sports and played the field but left both his competition and conquests feeling rewarded. Dogged and likeable as a CSI, he followed leads and examined evidence with dedication and compassion for the damaged lives they were probing.

They may have saved his life when he was in the buried coffin, but they'd lost his easy smile, optimistic attitude and resolute determination.


	5. Adelei Niska, Firefly

The slight blond boy somehow found a quiet, out-of-the-way nook in the busy neighbourhood. He played alone. Perhaps it was his cunning smile or his way of looking through you. Perhaps it was the way their pets avoided him, slinking down back alleys to being spotted. Whatever it was, the children knew to avoid him, despite their parents' exhortations to play with "that poor little boy. He doesn't have a mother, you know."

So he played alone, quietly waiting for something, for someone.

"Adelei! Get your lazy little pigu in here and look after your sister, I'm going out!"

He smiled.


End file.
